Not Dead Yet
by ShadowOfApate
Summary: Experimental Fic. Willow knew the consequences of taking Tara's mind back from Glory.


Title : Not Dead Yet  
>Author : Tariq ( formerly Aeris Jade Orion )<br>Rating : R  
>Pairing : WRTM  
>Timeline : Season Six<br>Summary : Willow knew the consequences of taking  
>Tara's mind back from Glory.<p>

Authors note: It's unbeta'd. At the moment I  
>have no beta reader for this genre. So drop me<br>a line if you're interested.

Second, due to health issues, and taking care  
>of my disabled mom, I haven't been able to<br>write much. But over the last several years  
>I've managed to slowly write on a number<br>of stories.

What I've decided to do is go ahead and  
>publish what I've managed to put together.<br>The stories are unfinished, and sometimes,  
>the last chapter I worked on is unfinished.<br>Plus, there maybe multiple chapters, each one a  
>different version. Just warning everyone.<p>

So I apologize in advance.

Disclaimer : Not mine. All characters belong  
>to Joss Whedon.<p>

00000  
>Prologue<br>00000

She breathed heavily against the wad of tissues  
>pressed into her gushing nose. The white glob<br>rapidly changing to red in her convulsing hand.

Her body shivered despite the California heat.  
>The air making goosebumps under her warm flannel<br>pajamas. Sweat soaked into the five quilts wrapped  
>tightly around her thin body, saturating the<br>useless blankets.

Willow groaned in the dim room. Her left leg  
>throbbing in agony. Burning in hurendess pain.<br>Spasms ran up the skin, then back down through  
>the muscles. She could feel the begining of a<br>charlie horse.

Gritting her jaw, her breath stopped. Her mind  
>went blank except for the pain. Everything zeroed<br>in on it. Her leg became stone, froze in time.

She wanted to scream herself raw. To tear her  
>throat to pieces. To claw her nails to bloody<br>jags. To do anything to relieve just a tiny bit  
>of the god awful agony she was in, but she<br>couldn't do anything but be.

Then it was over, and she could breath again.  
>Her leg was flesh, and it hurt worse than ever.<br>It had a tenderness to it. Like if she stretched  
>it wrong a new, far worse blood clot would come<br>to life.

Wearily, and with great worry, she sat up.  
>Unwrapping herself from the various sheets and<br>quilts to get to her left leg. Willow slowly,  
>pulled it up so she could see the thick gauze<br>tightly covering her calf from her ankle to her  
>knee.<p>

The reason she had been develving into Rack's  
>relm until Dawn had gotten hurt. The reason she<br>had gotten so deep into the dark magic's. The  
>real reason she had taken Tara's memory and let<br>her find the evidence.

Reaching over for the small first aid kit on  
>the side table, and grabbed the scissors. With<br>unsteady hands, she cut the gauze from her leg.  
>Pealing the clinging material away, and dropping<br>it on the bed.

Willow stared at the left side of her calf  
>solemnly. Two months ago, she had gotten a small<br>half inch long cut. A shard of glass had cut her,  
>no biggie. Except it hadn't healed.<p>

It had been the first clue.

Then the blood in the cut had changed color.  
>Instead of red, she'd noticed it was a dark<br>green, almost black.

The second clue.

After that the edges of the cut had started to  
>wilt, and contort. Peeling, bubbling. Becoming<br>increasing painful for her.

The third clue.

Glory. Or at least, a left over price from Glory.

When she'd researched a way to restore Tara's mind,  
>she'd found it, but there was consequences. Major<br>consequences. Extremely major consequences.

One's Giles would have no doubt found, if they  
>hadn't been on the run, and he hadn't been<br>injured. But in the end, they had been, and  
>afterwards, it hadn't mattered.<p>

Willow...

Willow had read the fine print. She had read it  
>and understood exactly what it meant.<p>

To release Tara's mind had required the use of  
>certain forbidden magic's. More specificly it<br>required Willow to tap into Glory's divine magic  
>and channel it. A major no no to any and all<br>mortal's.

Willow had been very careful not to touch Tara  
>with any of Glory's magic, so her ex was safe,<br>but she couldn't say the same for herself. Her  
>own body was paying the price for two things<br>using forbidden magic and channeling divine  
>magic.<p>

Add in a dark magic addiction and the jollys  
>just kept coming.<p>

She glanced down at her leg and griamnced.

It was completely ravaged from knee to toes.  
>There was nothing left to save. Stretching it<br>out carefully, she closed her eyes to the sight.

Veneficium Laceratio.

Magical Cancer.

The price of saving Tara, a price she would  
>gladly pay a million times.<p>

But she was dying. Slowly, painfully.

She had researched online and at the the Magic  
>Box. Searching for some cure. Some hope. She had<br>gone to Amy, and Rack.

Used dark magic to hold it off as long as possible,  
>but it was over.<p>

She slumped back into the bed, opening her eyes  
>to stare at what was left of her calf. It was<br>time to leave Sunnydale. To find someplace where  
>she could die without Tara and the Scoobies would<br>never have to know the truth.

The only question was where.

00000

Tara froze with the coffee cup partway to her  
>mouth. A shiver of foreboding ran down her spine.<br>The porceline cup in her hand suddenly cracking  
>down the center. The steaming liquid poured out<br>onto the table between her and Dawn.

" Okay, that was woogie. " Dawn shook her body  
>out. " I swear someone just walked over my grave. "<p>

" You felt it too? " Tara demanded sharply.

" Yeah, big time. " Dawn agreed.

She grabbed several napkins and started mopping  
>up her coffee. All the while her mind wondered<br>back to her feelings of forboding.

' Willow. '

Something was wrong with Willow.

A loud crash came from the back of the  
>resturant. The two females jumped to their feet.<br>A waiter behind the counter was blushing bright  
>red, holding an empty tray. On the floor was<br>a pile of broken dishes.

" Let's go. " Tara pulled out her wallet, and  
>threw a wad of bills on the table, not bothering<br>to count the money.

They hurried onto the sidewalk and toward the  
>Summer's house. Tara knew Willow had been having<br>a rough time since she'd given up magic. Dawn and  
>Buffy wouldn't discuss it with her. At least not<br>in detail.

However, she'd seen Willow around campus, and it  
>wasn't pretty. The red head had lost a lot of<br>weight. Too much weight. Her clothes were hanging  
>on her.<p>

She could just imagine how bad it was.

Tara broke into a jog as the house came into  
>view. She pushed front door open, pausing at<br>the dark house which greeted her.

" Willow?! " She called out.

Dawn darted up the stairs and she followed.  
>Willow's bedroom was wide open, the lights<br>blazing. She could see the wardrobe open,  
>draws scattered, Will's laptop was also<br>missing.

" There's a note. " Dawn frowned. " Why's there  
>a note? "<p>

Tara took it.

Dear Gang,  
>I'm tired of the good fight.<br>It's time I move on to greener pastors.  
>Do what you want with my stuff I won't<br>be back for it. Have a good life.

Willow.

And her world shattered.

11111  
>Chapter One<br>11111

Willow kneeled in the musty crypt. The flashlight  
>barely giving her enough light to see the symbols<br>engraved in the dirt. The smell of blood, fear,  
>and death hung thick in the air.<p>

The body of the witch lay out in the middle of  
>the pentagram of blood. Her black hair matted<br>with her own vomit and blood. The once black  
>skin now ashen.<p>

The red head finally stood up and backed away.  
>The witch tucked her flashlight under her arm,<br>and pulled out her digital camera, taking several  
>shots. Making sure to get close ups of each symbol.<br>Each wound made on the body.

Just like she'd done at the dozen other murders.  
>Just like she'd do at the next murder, and the<br>murder after it.

' Not dead yet. ' She snorted.

She had left good old SunnyD a year earlier to  
>die. Willow had bought a ticket to New Orleans<br>where she expected to die, and instead her life  
>had hit the proverbal fan.<p>

The red head had tripped over a cantankorous old  
>voodoo witch doctor. Literally. She had gone head<br>over ass over the old lady. Bags flying everywhere.

The little old lady had taken one look at her and  
>known everything. From the Glory on. Before Willow<br>could say a word Granny Maple had herded her back  
>to her home and kept her.<p>

And that little old Witch Doctor had done the  
>impossible. She'd cured Willow. But it hadn't<br>been overnight, and it hadn't been easy.

There had been many days when Willow had wanted  
>to give up and die instead. Many nights were she<br>had wanted to just take the easy way out, but she  
>had solidered through it.<p>

She ran her hand threw her jaw length red hair.  
>After suffering the heat of New Orleans she'd cut<br>it short, chosening a heavily layered look instead.

Sacrifice the limb to save the tree.

They'd found a way to direct the cancer to her  
>left calf and confine it. Thankfully Granny Maple<br>was able to remove the calf herself.

It had left the damage done to Willow's body  
>though. The cancer, the forbidden magic, and<br>addiction had left her body a wreck. On the verge  
>of death.<p>

It had taken months of treatment to rebuild it.  
>Months of not only medicine, and treatment, but<br>magical rehibilitation.

Of course, not dying sort of put a damper on her  
>carefully scripted plans.<p>

Granny Maple had been all for Willow going back  
>home to Tara and the Scoobies. Something Willow<br>had been considering, but then...

Her eyes darkened remembering the last time she'd  
>seen the cackling old woman. The corners of her<br>mouth tightened and she slowly limped out of the  
>crypt into the early morning fog.<p>

Ninety eight years old or not, it would have taken  
>someone extremely powerful to capture and sacrifice<br>Granny Maple. The power level would have to be  
>on a level of field close to Glory.<p>

Willow had found Granny just minutes after her  
>death. Yet whoever was behind the murders had<br>completed the sacrifice while hiding their  
>signature and power level.<p>

It was the same at every sight. She knew for a  
>fact because she had been on their tail for the<br>last four months. Missing them by hours every time.

She tapped her flashlight against her thigh. Her  
>options were running out and fast. What she did<br>know was whoever was behind this was playing with  
>her.<p>

Willow began to limp from the graveyard to her  
>car. She'd hit Sunnydale less than three<br>hours ago. From what she had figured, the killer  
>was going to concentrating on the town for a<br>while.

The last thing she needed, or wanted.

But after J. Doe had killed Granny Maple, she'd  
>sworn to stop the killer, and she would.<p>

No matter what.

11111

Willow absently tried to balance her large,  
>overflowing cup of Mocha with her left hand,<br>read from the six subject notebook in her right  
>hand, and keep from dropping the bag with her<br>cheese danish clenched between her teeth.

All while walking down the sidewalk of Sunnydales  
>Main Street at Seven in the morning.<p>

Her small oval shaped sunglasses slide down her  
>nose. The emerald colored lens revealing the milky<br>film covering her eyes. Making her once emerald  
>eyes an aquamarine.<p>

She huffed around her danish, using her Mocha to  
>shove her sunglasses back up, and continued on<br>her way.

' It has hints of ancient Greek... '

A hand dropped on her shoulder, and she tensed.

' Damn it, I know better than to drop my guard. '

" Will? "

' Double damn. ' She cursed.

Glancing back, she blinked at the sight of the  
>slayer. The blonde had let her hair grow back<br>out to it's old style. She had also regained  
>her old spark for life.<p>

" You're back. " Buffy smiled, drawing her into  
>a hug.<p>

Willow barely managed to save her breakfast and  
>research from the fearsome slayer hug. Grabbing<br>the bag of danish between two fingers, and holding  
>her arms way out.<p>

" When did you get here? Where were you? Why did  
>you leave? " Buffy babbled.<p>

" Um, hi to you to. " Willow smiled slightly.  
>" I got in this morning, and I was trying to<br>have breakfast before a certain blonde accosted  
>me. "<p>

" That so wasn't what I meant and you know it. "  
>Buffy slapped her arm lightly.<p>

" What are you doing out this early? " Willow  
>asked, resuming her walk down the sidewalk.<p>

-  
>To Be Continued <p>


End file.
